The Last King of Scotland -- Can it Help Uganda?

The Last King of Scotland is a movie about a young doctor working in Uganda who finds himself unwittingly picked as the personal physician to one of the world's most brutal dictators, Idi Amin. Forest Whitaker plays Idi Amin in the movie and he won a best acting oscar for his incredible performance. The film premiered in Kampala, Uganda's capital, this Saturday, and local audiences gave the movie a big thumbs up. Cast and crew of the movie were given red carpet treatment and the premiere was attended by Uganda's current president, Yoweri Museveni.

Idi Amin lost power in 1979 and he was followed by an equally brutal dictator, Milton Obote. The country has known peace for the most part since 1986, but it's still trying to recover its reputation internationally. Although The Last King of Scotland may remind the world of the brutality this small central African country went through, it has also put the country back on the map. The movie was filmed in Uganda and Forest Whitaker has been quite vocal in his praise of the people he met while filming and the country as a whole.

Uganda is a wonderful country to visit. In the 1960's it was actually one of Africa's most popular tourist destinations. Winston Churchill referred to Uganda as the "Pearl of Africa" for its "magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life". You can track mountain gorillas, see the "big five" take a trip down the Nile or enjoy a trek through the "Mountains of the Moon". My hope is that despite The Last King of Scotland's ugly topic, the beauty of the country will shine through and attract more visitors.

More Information:
The Last king of Scotland
Idi Amin Dada
Images of Uganda
Uganda Travel Information

Image of Idi Amin with his children (from The Last King of Scotland) © Fox Searchlight